Harry Potter: The Afterlife
by emmac.04
Summary: What happens when the characters of Harry Potter pass away? What if they were watching from above the whole time?
1. James and Lily

**I don't own Harry Potter, those rights go to the incredibly talented JK Rowling. Thanks so much for reading, and enjoy!**

* * *

There was a flash of green light. James opened his mouth to scream, to try and warn Lily. But then the green light consumed him, and everything was gone.

White. That was all that he saw. He knew he should be afraid. He had never seen anything like this place before. He had to get back to Lily, to Harry. But for some reason, he felt strangly at peace. He looked around slowly, and it suddenly all came back to him. The front door creaking open. The hooded figure in front of him. The green light.

Two things hit him at the same time. The first: the realization that he, James Potter, was dead.

The second: Lily Potter. She seemed to appear out of nowhere, shrieking. She flew into James, and stared at him. Then she fell into his arms, sobbing.

"James, we're dead!" She choked out. "Peter betrayed us! I can't believe it!"

He stroked her thick red hair, traced circles on her back, held in tears of his own. He had to be strong, for Lily.

Lily straightened with a gasp. "James, Harry!" She wailed. "He's going after Harry!"

He hugged her. "We'll wait for him. He'll be fine."

So the two waited. They waited for what seemed like hours, although it was difficult to tell the time. But still, Harry never came.

Finally, James spoke. "Do you think..."

"He's alive," Lily said. "I mean, he has to be, I can feel it!" Slowly, a smile crept onto her face.

"Woo! My son's a survivor!" James crowed, doing an embarrassing victory dance. He hugged his wife, who was now sobbing tears of joy.

"So now what?"

James's question was answered almost immediately. There was a pop, and four people appeared in front of him. He gasped. "Mum," he murmured, "Dad." He embraced his parents, and saw Lily doing the same to hers. Soon, they were a mess of tears and shaky laughter.

Eventually, James pulled himself away. "So... do we just sorta stay in this white... don't really know what to call it for the rest of eternity? Because I feel like that would get a bit old after the first decade or so. Or is there somewhere else?"

The others laughed, and Lily rolled her eyes.

Silently, James's mum grabbed her son's hand, and the rest joined hands as well. Then with a pop, they disapperated.

James opened his eyes, and Lily actually squealed. It was their home!

"You two could come and live with us," Lily's father said, "but we figured you want a place to your own."

"It pretty much changes into whatever you want it to be," her mother added. "Your father and I finally know what it feels like to be able to do magic! Well, sort of."

Lily giggled, while James said "Sweet!" and instanty gave their house a pool and a quidditch pitch in the back yard.

"Oh, and the best part!" James's mum led the group into the house, and pointed to what looked like a muggle television set. "You just tell it who you want to see, and it shows you."

"Merlin's beard, you're serious?" Lily exclaimed.

"No, she's my mother!" James cried, resulting in Lily shoving him playfully.

"I swear that became old after the twentieth time. So we just say it? Like um... Hey can we see Harry Potter?"

The screen rippled. Lily covered her mouth. Little Harry had just appeared, crying in his crib.

"Oh no!" Lily cried. "He'll grow up without parents!" She looked on the verge of tears again.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," James said for the second time. "He'll stay with relatives."

"What relatives? Everyone else is gone by now!"

"Not everyone! I mean, there's still..." James's voice trailed off, and a look of horror came over him.

"Petunia and Vernon!" Lily cried, anguished. "Oh my gosh, they'll be horrible to him! They won't even let him know that he's a wizard!"

"Now Lily," Mrs. Evans said, "I know that you and Petunia didn't get along very well, but I'm sure she will take good care of him. He's her family! To treat him like anything less would be absurd!"

"But I was her family," Lily said bitterly. "You know how she treated me."

"Look!" James pointed at the screen. Sirius had just appeared, tears running down his face. "Hey, Harry," he whispered. Harry looked up at him and stopped crying. Sirius scooped up the baby and walked out of the room. He held him to his chest, sheilding him from what was surely James and Lily's bodies on the floor.

By this point, everyone was crying again. "He's going to blame it on himself,"James said suddenly. "He'll think it's his fault, because he suggested we change it to Peter."

Lily spoke to the screen, and it faded to black. "Let's get settled in," she said to her husband firmly. The parents decided to leave the couple be.

"Harry's our kid," James said once they were alone. "He going to grow up to be pretty amazing. Even without us. And I get to watch it all with the most beautiful girl in the world- er, heaven."

Lily smiled. "I love you, James."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Oh my God James, when Petunia dies, I am going to kill her." Lily angrily kicked a pillow. "For the second time. I mean, the cupboard? Really? That annoying kid Dudley has that whole extra bedroom upstairs!"

James rested his arm reassuringly around her waist. But he was really ticked off too. Why couldn't he have had another sibling for Harry to go to?

"And he doesn't even know that he's a wizard! He thinks we died in a car crash! He doesn't know that he's famous! That he defeated bloody Voldemort!"

James sighed. This had been going on for years. "Don't worry, he'll get his letter soon. He's almost 11 now."

* * *

"Oh my God James he's a Parseltongue! Are you a Parseltongue? No! Am I a Parseltongue? No! This is like, seriously dark stuff! How did this happen!"

"Who cares, is there instant replay on this thing? I want to see the expression on his idiot cousin's face when the snake passed by him again!"

"Well there's no denying that he's a wizard now. I wonder what the poor boy thinks of all of this. If only we were there..."

* * *

"Oh my God yes! Yes finally! I love Hagrid!" Lily leaned over and kissed James happily. "He's doing it, he's gong to Hogwarts."

James couldn't keep the smile off his face. His son knew the truth.

* * *

"Oh my God did he say pheonix feather?"

"I think he did," James said, "why?"

"As in, the same pheonix feather as in You-Know-Who's wand?"

"Just a coincidence."

"Yeah right."

* * *

"Oh my God yes. Yes yes yes yes yes yes he's a Gryffindor! Even though the hat thought he should be in Slytherin, which seems kind of fishy..."

"But Harry don't care what the hat says! Harry gets what he wants!" James did another embarrassing victory dance.

"Just like his father." Lily tweaked James's nose, causing him to tackle her onto the couch, tickling her. She giggled, gasping for breath.

"He's going to be a fantastic Gryffindor, I can tell already."

* * *

"OH MY GOD IS HE OUT OF HIS MIND? A TROLL! A BLOODY TROLL! HE'S 11 YEARS OLD!"

"Wait, look he's doing it! He can do it, see!"

"Oh good, he's made friends with the smart one. Maybe next time she can talk him out of ATTACKING THE BLOODY TROLL!"

* * *

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god I can't watch. James I can't watch." Lily dove behind the couch. "How's he going to be able to defeat Voldemort a second time! He's only 11! Why didn't he leave it to the teachers?"

"He thought Snivel- er, Snape was trying to kill him, remember love?"

"Is he still alive?"

"Lily! He did it! It's because of you! Thank Merlin you gave him the whole love-protection thing. Although my quidditch genes definitely came in handy." James smirked, but inside, he was relieved. Harry had done it again. But Voldemort had escaped, and there was no telling when he was coming back.

* * *

The years came and went. Lily and James were glued to the screen for most of their time, but also visited with old friends and family. They were still sad that Harry had to grow up without them, but realized that he was becoming a fine young man on his own.

They watched as he saved his friend Ron's little sister from the Chamber of Secrets. The rejoiced when Sirius escaped from Azkaban, and when he was reunited with Remus, moaning when Peter escaped, but proud of Harry for showing him mercy. They were on the edge of their seats as he finished one Triwizard Tournament event after another, laughing when he stumbled over asking his crush to he ball. When Voldemort returned in the graveyard, they cried for Harry, knowing that he would soon have to face the Dark Lord. And they looked on proudly as Harry taught Dumbledore's Army and defied the evil toad-like teacher, Umbridge.

But it wasn't until the battle in the Department of Mysteries that life (or, well, death) for James and Lily Potter got really interesting.

* * *

 **So what do you think? I might have gotten a little carried away with the Oh My Gods, lol. If you review or favorite, you'll be my best friend! Thanks!**

 **~Emma**


	2. Sirius

Sirius Black died laughing. He was chuckling at his cousin's feeble attempts to kill him. A flash of light shot from Bellatrix's wand, and before Sirius could even raise his own to defend himself, he was knocked back.

He was surprised. Bella had really done it! He didn't think she had the guts.

The last thing he saw was his godson, screaming, held back by his friend.

Sirius fell for what seemed like too long. Millions of thoughts were running through his head. Like, what curse had Bellatrix hit him with? And what exactly was this veil he was falling through? Would he die quickly, or become a ghost? Would he even die?

Somehow, Sirius knew that he would die. He could feel it. He was strangely calm as he fell. Almost bored.

Finally, Sirius stopped falling. But instead of hitting the ground, he was caught by a pair of firm hands.

Sirius stood up. When he turned around, his first instinct was that it was James. No, don't be stupid, he thought. It's Harry, James is dead.

But then, looking closer at the face, Sirius realized that that the eyes weren't the bright green of Harry's. No, they belonged to the friend Sirius thought he would never see again.

"Sirius," the man whispered, his eyes full of hope.

And Sirius remembered- he was dead. James was dead. So that had to mean...

"James!" The two friends collided. Sirius forgot all about Bellatrix, and Harry, and the veil. All he could think of was how he much he missed his best mate.

From behind James, someone tapped Sirius on the shoulder. Sirius looked up, and cried out, running to embrace Lily. She began sobbing into his chest, and he fought back tears himself.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "It was all my fault."

Lily sighed. "Sirius, nobody could have ever known that Peter would be... that he would do what he did."

"I should have been a better godfather."

"You were the best godfather," Lily replied, "you were there for Harry when he needed you."

"I should have been there sooner," Sirius choked out.

"You were angry. It's not your fault."

James cleared his throat. "Okay, enough with all this sentimental crap. You are perfect in every way and are completely innocent, all hail king Padfoot, et cetera, et cetera!" His eyes sparkled, and he slung an arm around his friend. "Moving on. So anyway... Seriously, Padfoot? Death by curtain?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It was a veil. Besides, it was technically my dear cousin Bella who finished me off."

James waved his hand dismissively. "Trixie's got nothing on Lord Voldemort himself!"

"Whatever," Sirius said, "I think Lils's death was the most honorable. If it weren't for her, Harry would be gone."

Lily laughed. "See," she said, nudging James, "Sirius agrees with me!"

James scowled. "Traitor."

"Hey! I thought you said I was innocent! Remember, all hail King Padfoot!"

James began repeatedly whacking Sirius on the head with his wand. and Lily stood of to the side, smirking. Just like they were back at Hogwarts.

After a while, Sirius stood up and took a good look at his surroundings. Everything was a bright white. He frowned. This was it? "So what now?" he asked.

"You sound just like James," Lily said. "C'mon!" The three grasped hands, and landed right outside of Lily and James's house.

"Hey!" Sirius cried, "It's your house!" He smiled for a second, then frowned. "Since when do you lot have a quidditch pitch?"

James eagerly explained the afterlife to Sirius, and showed him the screen. They decided against turning it on yet, not wanting to have to witness the pain their friends must be going through.

"Prongs," Sirius said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Where are your parents?"

James smiled and led Sirius next door, where he was nearly strangled by Mr. and Mrs. Potter. They had welcomed him into their home as a second son years ago, and Sirius had always considered them his own parents.

The five of them eventually settled down on the couches in Lily and James's house, where they chatted.

"So Padfoot, what do you say? Want to come live with us?" James asked.

Sirius pretended to think long and hard, even though the answer was already cemented in his mind. "Well... I don't know if I could deal with your snoring for all of eternity. Seven years was bad enough!"

"You'd get your own room, you idiot!" James exclaimed.

"Hmm... all right, I suppose so. If Lily promises to cook her world-famous hash browns every once in a while."

"Brilliant! The afterlife is great, you know. We can watch The Harry Potter Show all day, and when we get bored-"

"Of The Harry Potter Show? I doubt it. Never a dull moment in your kid's life, Prongs."

"-we can visit some people, play some quidditch... pretty much whatever we want! Maybe you can even go see Marlene McKinnon, eh Pads?"

Sirius's face brightened at the mention of his former Hogwarts girlfriend. "Oh yeah, I forgot she was dead!"

"Sirius! I can't believe you!" Lily picked up the nearest pillow and began beating Sirius with it. Mr. and Mrs. Potter just chuckled, glad to see their son so happy again.

"Oh!" Lily cried, "That reminds me! James and I were speaking with your brother-"

Sirius scowled. "What in Merlin's name for?"

"Oh shut up Sirius! Anyways, turns out he changed his mind about being a Death Eater. 'Course, you can't just change your mind on You-Know-Who, but he spent his last moments trying to defeat him."

"And," James added, pausing dramatically, "he was dragged to death by inferi!"

Sirius's mouth fell open in shock. "You're serious?"

"No, you're-"

"Oh my God James I swear if I hear you make that pun one more time..." Lily aimed her pillow at her husband, who cowered.

"It's a lot to explain," Lily continued calmly. "Maybe he could do it himself?"

Sirius's mouth went dry. He didn't know why he was so nervous about the prospect of meeting his brother. The two hadn't gotten along well, but Sirius had been devastated when Regulus died.

"Um..." Sirius didn't get a chance to decide. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"That'll be him," Lily said.

"What? You invited him over without asking me?"

"This is our house you know," James said. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go... to the library! Yep, come on Mum, Dad, Lily! The library in heaven has all the books in the world!"

"Wait!" Sirius called, but the four were gone, out the back door. "Some best mate," he muttered.

The doorbell rang again, and sighing, Sirius slowly inched his way over to the door. Swallowing, he turned the knob and pulled it.

"Sirius." Regulus's face was blank, his eyes darting around.

"Regulus."

The two brothers stared at each other for a second. Sirius thought about what James and Lily had said. About the real reason Regulus died.

Quickly, before he could turn back, Sirius pulled his brother into a hug, the first in years. Regulus stiffened, and Sirius was surprised with himself too. But eventually they both relaxed.

Memories came flooding back to Sirius, of the two running around outside, riding on toy broomsticks. Of Regulus passing Sirius Christmas presents from under the table, when the rest of the family ignored him because of his sorting. Of how angry and confused he had been when he heard of his brother's mysterious death.

"James said that at the end..." He led his brother to the sitting room, and they both plopped on the couches.

Regulus took a deep breath, and explained everything, from the very beginning. "I'm sorry," he finished. "I should have listened to you about the Dark Lord."

Sirius tried not to wince at the title only Death Eaters used for Voldemort. "Mum and Dad could be pretty convincing," he said firmly.

"You've got that right."

* * *

"So," Sirius said once Lily and James came back, "how was the library?"

James smirked. "Excellent. Lots of books."

"Ah yes, a trait that most libraries back in the land of the living most unfortunately lack," Sirius quipped.

Lily rolled her eyes at the two boys and slung an arm around each of their shoulders. "Come on," she said, "let's play some Exploding Snap. For old time's sake."

James kissed the top of Lily's head, and she poked him in the stomach, eventually resulting in a pillow fight.

As he ran to the kitchen for safety, and to grab a case of butterbeer, Sirius realized that he was the happiest he had been in years.


	3. Dumbledore

**Hey!**

 **I am sooooo sorry for the lack of updates, I had this big trip and camps and was working on my other stories and it was chaos! School is starting soon, so hopefully I'll be able to fall into more of a routine with updates. I haven't given up on this story, don't worry, I just haven't had much time.**

 **Once again, I don't own any of these characters. JKR does.**

 **Thanks for sticking with me and reading!**

* * *

The next day, James and Sirius awoke to the smell of Lily's cooking. After a delicious breakfast and a few visits with some of Sirius's old friends, James turned on the screen.

The image of Harry, angrily calling for his godfather in the two-way mirror greeted them.

"If only he had used it," Sirius said sadly. "We wouldn't have gotten into this whole mess."

When Harry started talking to Nearly Headless Nick about the possibilities of Sirius becoming a ghost, Lily looked on the verge of tears.

"Alright, this is too bloody depressing," Sirius interrupted, "let's see someone else. How about...uh...Remus Lupin."

The screen rippled to show Remus weeping, and Sirius yelped, immediately turning off the screen. "Good lord," he gasped, "too soon, I suppose."

"Poor Remus," Lily said sadly.

James tried to force his mind away from Moony, the last remaining Marauder (well, besides Wormtail, but he didn't really count). He tried to think of anything else.

He was surprised when a wicked grin twisted across Sirius's face. "Hey, I entirely forgot! Have you two been checking up on him much?"

James shook his head guiltily. "We've mostly been focusing on Harry."

Sirius's smile broadened. "Remember my little cousin, Nymphadora? The daughter of the only decent cousin I have, Andromeda?"

James paused to think. "You have so many cousins, Pads, I lose track sometimes."

"C'mon, the one that's a metamorphmagi?"

"Ohhhh that Nymphadora! Nyphadora Tonks!"

"Yes! Guess who she has a crush on?"

James furrowed his brow. "No... she's like, fifteen years younger than us."

"Thirteen. And he likes her back, he's just too busy being a self-hating git."

Lily straightened. "Remus? Oh my God this is fantastic!"

"Yeah, the two'll come around eventually," Sirius said happily. "We should check on them every so often. I mean, once we've waited long enough for everyone to stop mourning."

His smile faded, and James stared sullenly at the floor.

"He'll get over it," Lily said, "And so will Harry. We'll see them all again. Someday."

* * *

The next time James, Lily, and Sirius got up the courage to turn the screen back on was dozens of reunions, quidditch matches, and Exploding Snap games later. Harry was in Potions. The first thing that Lily noticed was the professor.

"It's Slughorn!" She cried, "Why on earth is he back?"

James shrugged. "Beats me. I wonder if he's still doing the Slug Club."

"If he is, Harry's definitely a VIP member," Sirius said.

Lily shushed them and pointed at the screen. "Was he always this good at potions?" Harry was making a perfect draught of the living dead, even topping Hermione Granger.

James studied the scene. "He's not doing what everyone else is doing, how does he know?"

Their questions were answered when Harry headed out the door, talking about his textbook.

"The Half-Blood Prince!" All three exclaimed at the same time.

"Severus's old nickname!" Lily added. "Of course! So that's why he was so good!" She was sad to remember her old friendship with Severus, and the way he treated Harry, but couldn't help smiling at the way he was still helping Harry, whether he knew it or not.

"That was his nickname?" James scoffed. "That's just stupid."

"Oh, like Prongs is any better?" Lily teased.

"Yes! It is so much better!"

* * *

"Mate," Sirius said, "your son is stalking Draco Malfoy."

"And rightly so," James replied angrily, "you saw what he's trying to do!"

"Still, this is starting to reach James-Potter-Stalking-Lily-Evans level!"

"Shut up, Black."

* * *

"I do wish we could see the memories," Lily said wistfully. "But I suppose we can mostly figure them out from what Harry and Dumbledore are saying."

"Who knew You-Know-Who had such a tragic life?" James said.

"He killed you," Sirius said flatly.

"Well I know that," James said crossly, "But I still feel kind of bad for him! Like, a tiny tiny bit!"

Sirius snorted. "I think you're rubbing off on him, Lils. His emotional range has grown!"

"I'm very proud," Lily drawled sarcastically.

"All right, this is very suspicious," said Sirius. "Who was the necklace supposed to go to?"

* * *

Lily twisted a corner of a pillow nervously. "I can't believe it might have gotten into the school!"

"It wouldn't have gotten in, what with Filch checking everyone," James reassured her. "Now if only Harry could catch the Malfoy boy-"

"Oh don't you start," said Lily. "Just because Harry thinks it's Draco doesn't mean it's true."

"Harry knows what he's talking about," said James stubbornly. "I'm trusting him."

Lily rolled her eyes.

* * *

"A bezoar! Brilliant, he is!" James crowed. "Just like his parents!"

Sirius scoffed. "His parents? That's pushing it. His mother, yes, but his father?"

Before the two could start attacking each other, Lily said, "I can't believe that girl, Romilda Vane, wanted Harry to fall in love with her so badly that she slip him that love potion! I mean, even you weren't that bad, James!"

James lunged at her.

"Anyways," she continued, "It's obvious that he has a crush on Ginny Weasley."

"Another redhead," Sirius said, grinning.

"Potter tradition," James said.

* * *

"Of course, the Felix Felicis!" Lily was proud of her son. Sirius and James were still rolling on the ground about Slughorn's singing.

Ignoring the two, she listened to Dumbledore and Harry's conversation, and a shiver crept down her spine. Six horcruxes? How would Harry every defeat Voldemort? He was still just a boy!

The house erupted in cheers, and Sirius began thumping James and Lily on the back. "He did it," he yelled, "he snogged her!"

Even Lily had to smile, as upset as she had been over Harry's use of Sectumsempra.

James pulled her in for a kiss, and Sirius pretended that his eyes were being burned out of his sockets.

"Get a room!" He exclaimed.

"Very mature," Lily said, then turned and kissed James again.

Sirius crossed his arms. "I'm going to leave and live at Marlene McKinnon's house," he threatened.

"Go ahead," James said.

Sighing dramatically, Sirius flopped on the couch and continued to watch Harry TV, hiding his smile behind his hand.

* * *

Sirius turned very pale. This was where Regulus had died.

Lily gripped James's hand so tightly that it turned white.

"Oh. My. God... He's not going to drink it, can he? He can't possibly- No, Dumbledore, no!"

She relaxed when the pair finally left the cave, but tensed once again when she saw the Dark Mark hanging over the astronomy tower.

"And of course, he's going up there." Sirius laughed shakily, in disbelief.

The three watched, speechless, as Snape pointed his wand at Dumbledore and spoke the killing curse, loud and clear.

Dumbledore was dead. How was this even possible? Dumbledore wasn't supposed to die! He was supposed to live forever!

How could Harry possibly defeat Voldemort without Dumbledore?

* * *

The next day, James was surprised to open the door to Albus Dumbledore himself.

"Dumble- er Professor Dumbledore! What are you doing here?"

Dumbledore smiled. "We have many things to discuss."

James peered over Dumbledore's shoulder, and noticed a small girl waving.

"That is my sister, Ariana," said Dumbledore.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a sister."

"Few did," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling.

James invited Dumbledore in, and after Lily and Sirius had arrived, Dumbledore began explaining everything he knew about Voldemort's horcruxes.

"There is one more thing," he said. "The night you, Lily and James, died a piece of Voldemort's soul was dislodged. It attached itself to the only living thing it could find."

After a pause, Lily gasped in understanding.

"You're saying that Harry... is a horcrux?"

"Unfortunately, I believe so."

James stood up furiously. "So you're saying he's going to have to die before Voldemort?"

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "I am."

James sank back into his seat. This was a lot to process. A part of him, selfishly, almost wished that Harry could join them in the afterlife. But he knew it was wrong, that his son deserved a full life.

"He's going to do it," said Sirius. "Once he finds out. The kid's too brave for his own good."

Lily's eyes shimmered with tears. "And there's nothing we can do?"

"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said. "I just thought you deserved to know. However..." His voice trailed off.

"However what?" Lily demanded.

James was surprised to see Dumbledore hesitate. "I don't wish to get your hopes up. But there is a small chance that if Voldemort attempts to kill Harry, he will instead kill the piece of his soul."

"But not Harry?" Lily asked.

"It is a possibility."

James was surprised to see Dumbledore so uncertain.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she sank back into her chair. "That's all I need," she said. "Harry has survived Voldemort before. He can do it again."

Dumbledore nodded at her. "I do hope you're right."


	4. Mad-Eye Moody

**Hi.**

 **Sooooooo...**

 **I'm not dead.**

 **I feel terrible that I haven't updated this in so long! Basically, here's the deal- right now, I've been focusing on my other story, and on schoolwork, and on other projects in my life. There is no telling how long it may be between updates. HOWEVER I will not rest until this story is complete. It may take a while. But it will happen.**

 **Alright so now that that's out of the way, let's hop back into the story! Remember: I (obviously) don't own any of these characters. Thanks for sticking with me!**

* * *

Lily sank down into the couch, a tear rolling down her face.

"Oh, James." She sighed, "First Dumbledore, now Mad-Eye. I never thought that either of them would ever die."

"Everyone dies, Ev- er, Potter," said Sirius.

Lily was so distraught that she didn't even lash back with a snarky remark.

James scooted next to his wife and twisted her dark red ponytail gently. "Everyone dies," he repeated."

"That's what I said!" cried Sirius indignantly.

"Can it Padfoot." James grabbed one of Lily's small hands. He understood what Lily meant, why she was so upset. After all, both Dumbledore, their wise professor, and Mad-Eye, their tough Order of the Pheonix friend, had seemed invincible. If they were gone, how soon would it be before it was Harry's turn?

"Lils," he said. "I'm not saying Harry won't ever die, because that would be a lie, and the last time I lied to you it took months for that hair-loss hex to wear off. But we have a pretty awesome son, and I have a feeling he's going to stick it through and finally finish that creepy, bald, noseless idiot off." James brushed the tear off of Lily's face. "Besides, if he does die, he's already lived pretty much the most heroic life possible. And he'd get to see us, right?"

Lily looked doubtful.

"Right?" James repeated, poking Lily in the stomach. A giggle bubbled from Lily's lips. It was a well-guarded secret of hers that she was extremely ticklish. "Right?" James began to tickle Lily, who begged him to stop and threatened another hair-loss hex.

The two finally collapsed in a heap, James's arm wrapped around Lily's waist.

"Thanks," she whispered. "I needed that."

Even Sirius didn't say a thing.

* * *

James, Lily, and Sirius were chowing down on some cereal the next morning when the door flew open with a bang. This caused James to simultaneously spit out a mouthful of Cheerios and upturn his bowl, which dominoed into the other bowls. All three landed on the floor with a bang, milk splashing onto Sirius's feet.

Taking out his wand to clean the mess before both his wife and his best mate murdered for the second time, James took a better look at the man who had so forcefully entered the house.

The main had hair that reached his chin, and two piercing dark eyes.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our house?" Lily demanded, pointing her wand at the stranger.

The stranger laughed gruffly, and something about the laugh was very familiar. "You already know who I am."

Something about is voice was very familiar too. And his face.

"Alastor!" James realized. It was the face of the old auror, minus the a few scars and wrinkles, and of course, the trademark magical eye. He remembered Lily saying something about people here appearing as the age in their life when they were the happiest. It was hard to imagine a pre-mad-eye Mad-Eye Moody, yet here he was.

"Merlin, Moody!" Sirius cleared away the cereal with a swoop of his wand. "You couldn't have given us a warning before you barged in here?"

Moody shrugged. "Constant vigilence."

Lily went up and hugged him, and Sirius and James shook his hand curtly. The three remembered Moody from their Order of the Phoenix days, but none of them had gotten to know him vey well.

"Well," Moody said, slumping into a chair, "I just wanted to tell you that your boy's a fine wizard. No doubt in my mind that he can defeat Voldemort. In fact, I am confident in saying that he'll be the one to do it."

James's heart surged with confidence. Moody spoke nothing but the truth- if he said it was so, it was so.

Mad-Eye stood back up, and again shook everyone's hands. He gave a brisk salute, and as quickly as he was there, he was gone. Briefly, James wondered where he was going. To his family, probably. Did Mad-Eye even have a family? James knew absolutly nothing about Moody's life.

The fact that Lily didn't yell at James for spilling the cereal was a reflection of just how happy she was. Moody had given her the reassurance she needed. Harry would be all right. They could relax and just watch the show.

* * *

James threw a pillow at the screen in exasperation, and Lily quickly caught it with her wand.

"He couldn't even leave a a better explanation?" He grumbled.

"Well of course," Lily said. "The ministry folks would've noticed right away."

"Well he didn't have to be so vague," James said. "I mean, really? A snitch?"

Sirius gasped. "Sweet Merlin, the world must be ending. James Potter just insulted a snitch!" He then proceeded to fall to the ground, dramatically clutching his throat and gasping for breath. James kicked another pillow onto his friend's face.

Lily just rolled her eyes. Ever since Moody had dropped by, she had seemed more confident than ever in Harry. "He'll figure it out eventually. Dumbledore's smart, he'll have left him some way to figure it out. Or at least that Granger girl will figure it out, with that old book she has."

This time, both James joined Sirius in gasping. "That old book? You haven't heard of the Tales of Beedle the Bard?"

Lily frowned. "I don't think so."

"Come on," Sirius urged, "Babbity Rabbitty? The Three Brothers? The Warlock's Hairy Heart?"

Lily wrinkled her nose. "First of all, ew. A hairy heart? Second of all, you keep forgetting I'm muggle-born. So if this is some great work of classic wizard literature-"

James clapped a hand over her mouth and raised his wand, summoning a dusty book off of the bookshelf. He patted it fondly. "Just like the old one I grew up with," he said. Then he opened to the first page and cleared his throat. "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot..."

* * *

All were silent as Harry, Ron, and Hermione clutched hands and apparated away from the wedding. Lily's confidence was wavering. That was really close. Too close.

After a moment, Sirius cracked a tentative smile. "Guess that even beats when Moony started a cake fight at your wedding, eh Prongs? Ultimate wedding crashers."

"That was you, Padfoot," said James, chuckling softly.

Lily's hand slowly lowered from her mouth. "Hermione is always prepared, isn't she," she said softly.

"Just like a mini version of you," James said.

They watched in wonder as Hermione pulled things out of her little bag. "Just like Mary Poppins," Lily remarked.

When the boys expressed their confusion, she yanked out a television set she had insisted on getting for the house, and popped in a tape. It was her turn.

* * *

 **Sorry that ended so awkardly. I'll continue with the rest of TDH next update, I just wanted to get this out. Again, thanks for reading, see you next time :)**


	5. Peter Pettigrew

**Hey! I apologize for the wait, school is getting intense. Like... staying up past midnight every night finishing homework intense. I'm going to do my best to keep updating this regularly, but just a warning, it might be a while between updates.**

 **I still don't own anything. Also, I will be glossing over most of TDH until we get to the part where everyone starts dying. 'Cuz that's what we've all been waiting for right?**

 **I feel like this is really OOC... But thanks for reading, and enjoy!**

* * *

Huddled together on the couch, James, Lily, and Sirius stared at the screen.

"He wouldn't..." Lily said softly. "Not Peter." Then she scoffed. "Of course, that's what we thought when we made him our secret-keeper, and look what happened there?"

Sirius was glaring at the screen, his hand hovering instinctively over the wand in his pocket. "If he kills your son, I swear, I don't care if I'm dead. I will magically float myself down to wherever that coward is and pull his left nostril over-"

"Okay, okay!" James said hastily.

Lily grinned. "I'll take the right nostril."

James threw up his hands. "For Merlin's sake, just shut up and watch the screen!"

Deep down, James was worried. Yes, Peter had betrayed him and Lily. But he wouldn't go so far as to kill their son as well, especially when Harry had saved his life. Would he?

In fact, James was still getting over the fact that Peter had betrayed them at all. He was always a coward, James knew that. Peter was also one of his closest friends at one point, and James surely would have died to save any one of his fellow marauders.

"Guys," said Sirius, nervously, "I think he's actually going to do it. Look, Harry's reminding him of the life debt, like he thinks the idiot's going to care about-"

"He flinched!" Lily cried. "He flinched, he hesitated, he really does care about Harry! I knew that there was still at least something good left inside him, and he was just too afraid to let it show."

"And you're getting that all from a tiny little pause? The screen could have just glitched, like the time it froze on Harry in the loo for five minutes, and we couldn't change the channel."

Sirius stopped talking, and Lily lowered the pillow she had readily raised. James watched numbly as Peter's strong silver hand, a gift from his master, turned on him. Harry and Ron tried their best to wrestle it away, but it was no use. The lifeless form of Peter Pettigrew sank to the floor.

Nobody spoke. They just clutched each other tightly and didn't let go.

* * *

Peter Pettigrew jolted awake. He looked around, confused. Just a second ago he was in the basement of Malfoy Manor, about to kill Harry Potter. But now, in the bliding white light that surrounded him, where was he?

Peter pushed himself to his feet and gasped. His powerful silver hand was gone, replaced by his old hand. Staring at his hand in disbelief, Peter realized it was smoother, with less cuts and blemishes than before. Running his fingers through his hair, he realized that it was full and sleek. He hadn't looked like this since his Hogwarts days.

It was at that momeont that Peter realized that he must be dead. And all of a sudden, it came rushing back to him: going downstairs to investigate a noise, being tackled by Harry and his friend, attempting to strangle them. But at the back of his mind, something had made him falter, and it was his mistake.

Or was it a mistake?

His last memory was of the two boys trying to save him, and Peter knew that he wasn't worth it. His life had been worthless. He was a traitor, a coward. But now, after death, he was free. He no longer had to serve Voldemort, he no longer had to live in fear. He could see who else was here, maybe even make up with James and Lily.

But he was alone. Who was he kidding? James and Lily would never be his friends again. He was entirely responsible for their deaths.

Peter was beginning to wonder if anyone else was even here. With a jolt of pain, he realized that there was absolutely nobody who had died caring about him. His parents, both alive, still believed that he had died years ago, murdered by Sirius Black. His only friends hated him. He would probably sit in this white room for the rest of eternity.

He slumped back down on the floor, knees curled up to his chest, head resting in his arms. And for the first time in a while, he began to cry. When he was young, he had always thought he might become a star quidditch player, a brave auror, a writer for the Daily Prophet. His life was over now, and his dreams couldn't have been farther from the truth.

From out of nowhere, a Peter was knocked to his side. He was so stunned, his sobs stopped. Another punch hit him, and then another. Bewildered, he lay flat on the ground, feeling the sharp sting of pain. He deserved it.

The punches stopped, and slowly, Peter sat up, his vision hazy. Standing around him were James, Lily, and Sirius.

"See, James, Lily?" Sirius said coldly. "He's not even apologizing. I told you not to waste your time on the idiot, but noooo, you have to be all forgiving and friendship and sunshine and unicorns and rainbows and all that. I mean, he killed you! What else more do you need to leave a person to rot in hell?"

There was not a trace of humor in his voice, for one of the first times.

Peter's mouth fell open, and a millioni thoughts flooded through his head. Only one mattered.

Lily and James forgave him.

Right now, they weren't looking very forgiving. James had turned on his most intimidating quidditch staredown look, and Lily's bright green eyes were cold and hard. Peter suspected that they had been involved in the process of using him as a punching bag as well.

Peter sighed. Nothing he could say would ever make up for what he did.

"I know this probably doesn't mean anything," he said, "but I'm sorry."

"A little late for that," James spat.

Peter hung his head. "I know. And I don't deserve any of this, I don't even deserve to speak to you. I'm sure you know that I didnt want any of this to happen. And that I'm a coward. But I'm sorry, and I really mean it."

Lily frowned, but her eyes softened the tiniest bit. Or maybe he just imagined it.

"Well," she declared, sounding exhausted, "I don't even know how you ended up here, as I assumed only the good guys do. But then again, I still don't really understand anything about this place, wherever we are. All I know is that if nobody comes to fetch you, you'll just stay here forever, so here we are."

James's arms were crossed, his face unchanging. "Once a marauder, always a marauder, right?" He said flatly.

Sirius looked on the verge of physically attacking Peter again, and Lily gripped his arm.

"We have to apparate you out," James said. "There is no chance you are staying anywhere near our home. You know the address well, so you ought to be able to find a place on the other side of town."

The words hit Peter like bullets, and he let them sink in. The pain overpowered his confusion about this strange new place.

James, Lily, and Sirius joined hands. Grimacing, as though touching an extremely large cockroach, Lily pinched Peter's coat with two fingers. With a pop, the four were sent swirling into the air. Peter hit the ground right outside of a small house. The others were nowhere to be found, but he had a feeling he would see them at some point.

After all, they had the rest of eternity. Hopefully at some point, he could earn his friends' trust again.

* * *

 **Andddd cut! I'm sorry that wasn't a very fun or funny chapter. It's Peter, it had to be all dark and depressing. I had a hard time writing him. I'm not sure if he would really end up in heaven, but he was a pretty important death, so I had to include him. I'm also pretty sure I got the reactions entirely wrong. Hmmm, let me know what you think.**

 **The next update might take a while. We all know what's coming...**


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